Its not just eggs: Heres the perfect storm thats driving up beef prices

Shoppers reeling from the skyrocketing cost of eggs because of a bird flu outbreak may soon see similar price hikes on beef and veal products because of shrinking herd levels, The Post has learned.“There’s a perfect storm driving up beef and veal prices right now,” Joe Camberato, supply chain expert and chief executive at National Business Capital, told The Post.Technically, it’s a lack of rainy storms that have wreaked chaos on the cattle industry as droughts and abnormally dry conditions hit ranchers and slaughterhouses hard.Drought levels hit a nationwide record in 2024, critically impacting regions across the southwest and Northern Plains, according to Drought.gov. Extremely dry conditions reduce the amount of grass available for grazing, making farmers more reliant on feed.As demand for feed grew, prices became inflated, piling on new costs for ranchers and forcing them to shrink their herds.Further hampering supply was a flesh-eating pest called the New World Screwworm discovered in Mexican cattle herds, forcing the United States to halt imports.Prior to banning cattle imports last November, Mexico was sending about 1 million cattle to the US each year, according to the Department of Agriculture.As of January, US cattle herds had shrunk 1% from the year before – hitting a 64-year low, according to government data.“On top of all that, demand is still strong,” Camberato told The Post.

“When you mix lower supply with high demand, prices go up.It’s that simple.”Earlier this month, Washington resumed cattle imports from Mexico, but President Trump has threatened to levy hefty tariffs on the neighboring country, which could keep cattle prices high.“We saw record prices at all the auction yards in January,” Jason Walker, co-owner of StarWalker Organic Farms in California, told The Post.

“If you’re selling cattle, it’s a great thing.If you’re buying cattle, it’s not a great thing.” Subscribe to our daily Business Report new...